The sophomore finished the Class 3 state championship run on November 5 at the Gans Creek course in Columbia, placing 19th and earning a medal as she ran the 5K in 19 minutes, 48.1 seconds in her first state meet.
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When it came down to it, Victoria Riggs did what she does best – she simply ran.
The sophomore finished the Class 3 state championship run on November 5 at the Gans Creek course in Columbia, placing 19th and earning a medal as she ran the 5K in 19 minutes, 48.1 seconds in her first state meet.
“It feels really great to come home as a state medalist and I’m very excited for next year,” Riggs said. “I’m very thankful for my coaches and family for helping me through this whole year. I’m very thankful for my coach and family for their support this season, and especially thankful for my coach for helping me to have a good mindset and working hard during the season.”
What became a PR for Riggs certainly didn’t start that way.
After the first kilometer, Riggs sat 76th but then chased down runner after runner over the final four kilometers. With each split, her placing improved drastically.
She went from 76th to 54th to 34th to 24th and, finally, to 19th with each passing kilometer. Riggs, as the numbers show, ran a very consistent race. Her best kilometer splits were her last kilometer (3:49) and her first (3:50).
“It wasn’t like (I had) planned at first, but then my coach told me before the race that the girls would go out really fast and I would want to work my way up by passing girls to make it easier and help me to get a better PR,” Riggs said. “I mean, it definitely helped for me to find girls and just pass everyone in front of me to help me get a PR and to be motivated to pass another person.”
Wright City Coach David Schnell said that, for as physically astute as she was during the race, her mental approach also paid dividends.
“Victoria capped off a great season with a fantastic race,” Schnell said. “She went from the first kilometer all the way to (making drastic improvements) by the end, proving once again just how smart and mentally tough a runner she is.”
Schnell added that, for as senior-laden as the race was, the sky should be the limit for Riggs next season and beyond.
“She's only a sophomore and only four underclassmen finished in front of her,” Schnell said. “So, it's going to be fun to see where she goes from here.”
